USED: 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Review: Only For Those Who Want to Live This Life

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luxury Performance Car
2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI is nothing short of stunning. Photo: Scotty Reiss

The Italians Get This So Right.

Here’s the thing about style: it lets you know what experience to expect. Whether you’ll be snubbed by the valet or greeted with a gracious smile. If you’ll feel at home on a posh street or out of place. Whether you’ll be thrilled by your time in the car or bored. 

But the big message style sends is about the life you’re living: is it fun and frill-free? Big and daring? Or chic and dashing? That’s the question that the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI answers: life inside a classic Italian style icon.

Spoiler alert: Chic and gorgeous are the descriptors here.

Can a sexy car put your love life in the fast lane?

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luxury Performance Car
From the front, from the side, from the rear… the Giulia looks like speed and class, even sitting still. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Who This Car is For

  • Singles, couples, or small families
  • Drivers who occasionally have back seat passengers
  • Buyers who want a luxury sedan
  • Buyers seeking a car that stands out from the crowd
  • Drivers who need all the basics of safety and connected car technology
  • Buyers who want a cutting-edge design experience
  • Drivers who occasionally want a performance drive experience but don’t need the constant anxiousness (or fuel drain) of a bigger engine.
Luxury Performance Car
Another distinct feature is the front end of the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Photo: Scotty Reiss

What This Car Costs

  • Base price: $39,995
  • Preferred package, which includes 5-hole wheels, performance run-flat tires, sport front and rear details, sport seats, paddle shifters: $2,250
  • Leather package which includes leather dash and door panels: $995
  • Driver assist package, which includes adaptive cruise control with full stop, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic high beam headlights: $1,200
  • Harman Kardon premium sound system: $900
  • 8.8 inch radio with bluetooth radio and navigation: $950
  • Price of the model we test drove: $50,035

Are paddle shifters worth the investment? Here’s the truth and why you’ll want them

2017 Alfa Romeo Guilia Luxury Performance Car
The flat steering wheel gives a serious performance feel to the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Fresh Italian Design Brings La Dolce Vita to Your Driveway

As a fan of Italian design, I was not surprised at all, and pleasantly pleased, with my test drive of the Alfa Romeo Giulia. I’ve long loved the easy, understated elegance of Milanese style, which was once described to me as “they want everyone to think they are rich,” even if they aren’t. Think of the confident fit and flow of Giorgio Armani, the modern elegance of Prada, the cutting-edge tailored feel of Stella McCartney.

That’s the Alfa Romeo Giulia, too. It looks and feels rich, refined and expensive, even when it’s solidly accessible, with the price of this model topping out at $50,000 (there is a more expensive edition, too, for those who need more power and distinction).

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luxury Performance Car
Speaking of beautiful design, don’t these sleek Henri Bendel handbags look great adorning the back seat? Photo: Scotty Reiss

What Italian Design Should Do For You—and If It Doesn’t, It Fails

I’m devoted to Italian shoes; many of the best French, English or American shoes are made, even designed, in Italy. Shoe designers rely not just on the craftsmanship but also the eye for design and detail; not to just follow directions and get the product right, but to have a sense and feel for whether it’s right or not.

Italian handbags take that caché a step further: fine materials and details come together to make a solid statement and a functional piece that you’ll live with for years. A handbag isn’t just a place to stow your lipstick and iPad; it’s a style companion that completes an outfit, reflects your lifestyle and if it does its job well, opens doors. Its designers and craftspeople understand this.

Do you know who else appreciates this Italian car? Beyonce. 

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luxury Performance Car
There is no mistaking the Alfa Romeo’s stylish wheel design. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Italian to the Core, With Design Details that Captured My Heart

This attention to detail is all very clear on the Alfa Romeo Giulia, which is built in Cassino, Italy, with 69% Italian-made parts.

Not that I can tell what is made in Italy and what isn’t, but the attention to detail in both design and manufacture is apparent. Some design details that caught my eye:

  • Those wheels. Beautiful, distinct and surprising; these are not your average wheels and beautiful enough that even non “car” people commented on them throughout my test drive
  • The animated and elegant front face of the Giulia
  • An understated rear end with elegant tail lights and dual exhaust pipes
  • The flat infotainment screen that is built into the dashboard; when the system is off it’s simply another elegant, unobtrusive surface
  • Leather covered door panels, arm rests and dashboard, all featuring red stitching to connect not just the panels of leather but encouraging your eyes to follow the curves of the interior
  • Elegant textured aluminum panels that cover the center console and upper door panels
  • A minimalist approach to the steering wheel, center console and command controls. Nothing is overdone or overwhelming, everything is where it should be
Luxury Performance Car
The front cabin of the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Notice the infotainment screen? That’s the point; it fades right into the dash when not in use. Photo: Scotty Reiss

No Risk, No Reward in Style and Design

My single biggest hesitation to buying anything new to the market, Alfa Romeo included, is that it has no track record, no reliability ratings, no history. However, Alfa Romeo is in its second model year in the US and has good DNA. A product of FCA Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the Giulia benefits from all the company knows and has learned. The expectation is that it will perform with respectability and that if problems arise, they’ll be taken care of. That’s the power (and comfort) of a large corporate owner.

Another benefit of being in the FCA family is a design vision that consistently produces beautiful, functional cars that lets you live the mission and message of the brand. 

How does the Alfa Romeo Giulia compare to the BMW 530i? 

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luxury Performance Car
A button on the end of the windshield wiper lever allows you to scroll through the commands easily, keeping your eyes on the road. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Touchless Screen Means No Fingerprints. BIG YAY

Alfa Romeo’s design team brings a minimalistic elegance to the space, from a streamlined center console and instrument panel to a flat infotainment screen (touchless, so no finger prints!) that is a seamless part of the dashboard. When it’s on, it displays clearly the needed commands and information. When it’s off it fades into the dashboard, unobtrusive and invisible, letting you keep your focus on what is important: the road, the gauges, the landscape, your driving partner.

The center console takes this minimalist approach, too. The gear shift is centrally located just behind two cup holders under a retractable aluminum cover that can also serve as a shelf for a phone (there’s a USB port just above it). To the right of the shifter is the drive mode selector, just behind it is the infotainment selector and to the right is radio volume control. It’s worth noting that the Giulia has the same type of shifter that many other FCA cars and trucks have: The shifter doesn’t move into the selected position; once a gear is selected the shifter pops back to its central resting position. This means that as a driver, it’s important to always be cognizant of what gear you’re in. 

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luxury Performance Car
The Alfa Romeo Giulia’s DNA: Dynamic (performance mode) Normal (default), and Advanced Efficiency (often called Eco by other manufacturers). Photo: Scotty Reiss

What’s in the Giulia DNA, Anyway?

DNA has two definitions here. First is the traditional meaning of DNA. Giulia is the next extension of the Alfa Romeo heritage, which has been building sporty race cars since 1911. Several years ago FCA decided to extend the brand to compete with European auto brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The plan included a full lineup of performance cars and the Giulia was the second to rollout after the very fast track-focused 4C.

That racing heritage informs the Giulia’s DNA drive modes. There are three settings: Dynamic, which is a performance mode with more power, less lag in acceleration and stiffer suspension; Normal, which is the default mode, comfortable and capable without too much jostling passengers around, and Advanced Efficiency, which allows the car to adjust to conditions and save fuel. It’s also worth noting that the Giulia is a rear wheel drive car, which is common and popular in performance cars.

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luxury Performance Car
The rear seats in the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia are roomy enough for occasional passengers. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Giulia’s Interior Design Never Let’s You Forget Its Racing Heritage

This racing heritage plays out in the look of the model we drove. A racing red interior probably wouldn’t be my first choice, but I do appreciate the statement it makes: this is serious fun. Still, the interior had a plush, luxurious feel about it. Buyers who don’t want to commit to living life on the red line can choose a black or tan interior.

Rear seat passengers will also enjoy the drive. The back seats are bucket seats so passengers sink right in. And with plenty of leg room and a few creature comforts including climate control and cup holders in the arm rest, adults will feel at home and kids will feel privileged.

We took an Alfa Romeo 4C on the track to test its limits: is high performance driving for you? 

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Luxury Performance Car
Want to feel like an A-lister? Take a ride and bask in the attention. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Only Buy This Car If You Like Attention

One of the most fun things of test driving the Giulia was the attention it got. Valets loved parking it, friends wanted to go for a ride and people everywhere wanted to know more. Even a lady at the dentists’s office pulled alongside and put down her window to ask about it. I had to smile. The Giulia is a gem: fun to drive, a conversation piece and the entree to living la dolce vita.

Luxury Performance Car
The center console in the Alfa Romeo Giulia has a refined, edited feel with the DNA drive mode selector (L), infotainment selector (center) and radio volume (r) between the gear selector and the arm rest; a retractable cup holder cover completes the look. Photo: Scotty Reiss

What We Loved

  • Gorgeous design inside and out
  • 5-hole ‘flower’ wheels
  • Minimalist interior
  • Touchless infotainment screen that fades into the dash when not in use
  • Great technology including adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot detectors and rear cross traffic warning
  • Run flat performance tires
  • Remote keyless entry with push button start
  • Harman Kardon premium sound system
  • Leather performance seats with adjustable bolsters that hug you as you drive
  • The price: this is a lot of style and luxury for the price
Luxury Performance Car
Love this detail: the push button start is located on the steering wheel rather than on the instrument panel. Photo: Scotty Reiss

What you Need to Know

  • This is the first model year
  • 4 year/50,000 mile warranty
  • Roadside assistance included
  • Seating for 5 but more comfortable for 4
  • The next model up is a true performance-edition Quadrifoglio with a larger 505 horsepower engine and a $72,000 price tag
  • Premium fuel recommended
2017 Alfa Romeo Giuila Luxury Performance Car
Anyone driving behind you can appreciate the iconic Alfa Romeo logo on the streamlined back end of the Giuila. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Disclosure: The Alfa Romeo Giulia was provided for this review; all opinions expressed are my own.

A Girls Guide To Cars | Used: 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Review: Only For Those Who Want To Live This Life - Alfa Romeo Giulia Monroney
The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Monroney window sticker

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Scotty Reiss
Scotty Reiss

Journalist, entrepreneur and mom. Expertise includes new cars, family cars, 3-row SUVs, child passenger car seats and automotive careers and culture. A World Car Awards juror and member of the steering committee, Scotty likes to say the automotive business found her, rather than her finding it. But recognizing the opportunity to give voice to powerful female consumers and create a voice to match their spending power, her mission became to empower women as car buyers and owners. A career-long journalist, she has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Adweek and co-authored the book Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.

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